Connector assemblies wherein the connectors comprise respective insulating casings defining respective numbers of cavities for housing mutually connectable male and female electric terminals respectively are known. Connector assemblies of this sort normally comprise a lever-slide device which, once the plug and socket connectors are brought together, provides for connecting the connectors with a minimum amount of effort. The lever-slide device substantially comprises a pair of slides fitted inside the plug connector casing to slide in a direction perpendicular to the connection direction of the connectors; and an operating lever hinged to the plug connector casing and connected to the slides. In a fairly commonly used embodiment, each slide has a lateral wall which slides along respective lateral walls of the plug connector casing. Each lateral wall of the slide has a number of cam grooves, which are engaged by respective pegs on the outside of the socket connector to produce a relative coupling movement between the plug and socket connectors in the connection direction, when the slide translates in the sliding direction. The slides are normally retained, by releasable retaining means, e.g. click-on retaining members, in a preassembly position partly inserted inside the plug connector casing, and is moved into a fully-inserted position inside the casing by rotating the operating lever about its hinge axis from a first to a second operating position. An example of such a connector assembly may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,568,925.
Though functionally valid, connector assemblies of the above type, with lever-slide devices, still leave room for further improvement. In particular, a shortcoming of these connector designs is the need for the person operating the operating lever to provide additional force to compensate for variation in the effective length of the lever and in the engagement force generated by the electrical connector and mating connector as the lever is being advanced and the connection is being made. This additional force may approach or exceed ergonomic limits for force that may be applied by the person operating the lever.
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.